Monday, January 29, 2018

One Reading Game: Five Ways

I'm popping in with a quick post to share a few new ways to use my Reading Games for reading comprehension review! I get a ton of questions about different ways to play this game, so here are a few ideas!

I originally designed these games to be used with Jenga-style topple blocks, but I wanted to give teachers other options just in case they didn't have topple blocks, if they wanted to change the game up a little bit, or if they wanted a quicker version of the game. I have blogged about using topple blocks as math games HERE and HERE.

The easiest way to play and have kids complete ALL of the questions is using the points tracker. I like to incentivize this a little bit and use it as more of a "time tracker." Students get points for each of the questions they answer correctly, and then at the end, the number of points they have is the amount of time they have to complete some sort of STEM challenge. Kids LOVE this, and it only takes an extra 5-10 minutes at the end of the game!

Board Games

Have some extra board games laying around? This is another easy way to use the game. I have my students complete one question (of their choice) each time it's their turn to make a move. I make BOTH students who are playing the game answer the same question at the same time so that there is never really any down time. They check their answer using the answer key and get to make the move if they get the answer correct. The board game above is a mini version of Connect Four that I purchased for $5 at Staples.

Topple Blocks

This is the "original" inspiration for the design of the game, and kids LOVE it! I purchase my block sets on Amazon HERE. (Affiliate Link) The sets include a multi-colored dice that the students roll, and it tells them which colored block they need to pull from the tower. Before they can pull their block, everyone on the team answers a question with the corresponding color.

For example, if Jackie, Tim, and Bella are all playing, and Jackie rolls the dice and gets a pink, ALL THREE KIDS will choose the same pink question on the game and answer it. Then, they check the answer key and discuss. If Jackie got the answer correct, she gets to pull that color block. If she didn't get it, she does not pull any blocks and it's Tim's turn. Play repeats until they topple the blocks! (Then, they set them back up and start playing again.)

Colored Dice

This is a super inexpensive alternative to the Topple Blocks, and kids still love it! I purchase these colored dice on Amazon HERE. (Affiliate Link) Then, they roll the dice to see which color question they complete. Simple as that!

Game Boards

Finally, I created these FREE game board options to use with the reading games! There are multiple options for using the game boards that make them all super engaging!

Click the image below to check out all of the different versions of the game I have! Happy playing!

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